It is not just WHAT we get done in this world that matters, but HOW
we get it done, that can make all the difference. It is the quality
of a gift that makes it precious, not the quantity. And what will
matter most when we get to the end of this life is how much love
or care we put into everything we did. This is related to the motivation
of our heart and mind. As the Bible says, "....for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

All of this depends mainly upon our attitude in life. Attitude is defined as
“a manner of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one's disposition,
opinion, etc.” A healthy, balanced attitude can make all the difference in
changing this life from a frustrating or unpleasant struggle to an exciting,
fulfilling and self-transcending adventure. A positive mental attitude,
as opposed to a healthy attitude, is a more popular term, but as long as
you remain balanced. The danger is getting to a stage of not believing that
anything bad can happen, a bit like Pollyanna. This can cause us to become
complacent or naive, lacking vigilance where it is needed. For some more
ideas on attitude, here is an article on the subject.

Check Your Attitude

By Craig Nicholson

ATTITUDE – what a profound difference it can make in our lives.
The word was drummed into me daily as a young military pilot:
Attitude! Attitude! Attitude! My instructor didn’t mean mental
attitude, although that also came up now and then.
He meant the nose attitude of the aircraft.

Each flying maneuver and configuration requires a specific speed,
determined by how much the nose of the aircraft is pointing above
or below the horizon. This is called the nose attitude of the aircraft.
If you keep your attention on maintaining the appropriate nose attitude,
the speed will automatically come right. Because of a delay in the
airspeed dial settling at the correct indication, if you try to set your
speed by watching the dial you often end up chasing the needle back and
forth. Then you wallow across the sky like a flying dolphin!

Communications, psychology and personal growth have some amusing parallels
to flying. Over the years I have seen how attitudes towards people and
situations affect our lives. People’s nose attitudes indicate their
state of mind: from the extremes of walking with heads bowed to holding
their noses high in the air. Our attitudes are important. If I believe
that other people’s opinions are more valid than what my heart tells me,
it causes uncertainty, self-doubt and a kind of mental sea-sickness.
It reminds me of “dolphining” across the sky as a pupil pilot.

To change our habits requires a change in attitude. And yet attitude
is just a matter of thought. Education and experience can soon change
our beliefs if we are open minded and keen to progress in the schoolroom
of life. If you have to do some house cleaning and you reckon it’s a pain
in the neck, then you’ll likely have a lousy time doing it. A friend of
mine just accepts the task as one of the things that need doing and actually
loves doing it, even though she’s just as busy as I am. And she does
a much better job than I do!

If your attitude towards friends is that they will stick with you only
as long as they can’t see your bad side, then your time with them will
be a lot more stressful than if you see them as understanding and
accepting of who you are. Friendships have their ups and downs too.
If you make a mistake or hurt their feelings by being honest, they
might leave you, which can be scary. But not so scary if you ask
yourself whether the fair-weather friend was really worthwhile.
Plus, if you hold an accepting attitude towards them, they will
feel more comfortable around you, and be more accepting of you
as well. Like attracts like. Always be yourself. Sincerity attracts
true friends. This very attitude changes the way we act. It
attracts better friends into our lives.

How about evolution? If your attitude is that you are on earth purely
by evolving from animals, and that your one shot at life works only by
the survival of the fittest, then unless you are a cross between Charles
Atlas and Rambo, you are liable to have quite a stressful life. Especially
compared to one who believes that they are an immortal spirit using this
temporary body to learn lessons and fulfill a mission on earth that is
unfolding with cosmic order. Just as an aside, if there is no ultimate
proof that the latter is wrong or impossible, it might be worth trying
out. If it turns out to be true, and you took the animal evolution option
instead, you would have missed a big boat!

Here’s another one. Much of our entertainment is taken up with the good
guys versus the bad guys. If my attitude is that evil is just temporary
effects due to a lack of light or high frequency in that area, then my
attitude towards it can remain positive and confident. Dark thoughts
and feelings, including fear, lower our frequency, therefore attracting
that which we fear, as like attracts like.

So check your horizon, check your altimeter, check your airspeed.
Know the difference between angels and bandits. Adjust your attitude.
Like my nose attitude, when I set it properly, my desired airspeed
settles down quickly, instead of chasing the needle. It makes my
flight path look less like a dolphin across the horizon, and
prevents my instructor shouting: “Check your attitude!”